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Bath Salts Withdrawal and Detoxification

The use of Bath Salts is associated with the potential of abuse and addiction. People often use bath salts in combination with other drugs. Synthetic cathinone, which is the main components, is abused across the wide range of populations in different countries. The individuals between the ages of 20-29 have been reported as the major age group abusing the bath salts. The bath salts produce the effects of alertness and euphoria. These effects don’t last for so long and the user starts developing agitation, confusion, and aggression. This binds the user to continue taking the drug. He eventually develops the tolerance and the same amount of the drug can’t give him the same effects. Soon the person dwells into the state of addiction, the recovery of which requires the proper detoxification process. The withdrawal symptoms appear during the detoxification process and prove to be extremely painful and unpleasant. A number of methods can be employed to make the process of detoxification relatively easy and comfortable for the person.

Table of Contents:

Bath Salts Withdrawal Symptoms

The body fails to work without the repeated administration of the drug. The negative symptoms start to occur in the absence of chemical levels of the drug in the body. The withdrawal symptom occurs because the drug improves the functions of the central nervous system and increases the level of reward chemicals in the brain. As with other forms of drug abuse, rapidly decreasing or quitting the usage of bath salts by a dependent person causes numerous physical withdrawal symptoms and the psychological signs. The intensity of these withdrawal symptoms is based on the duration of abuse. The longer durations of abuse cause more severe withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can vary from the milder to the more toxic states.

The Psychological symptoms:

The Common psychological symptoms include:

Violent outbursts

Amnesia

Anxiety

Impaired memory

Intense Craving

Paranoia

Depression

Concentration issues

Sleeping problems

Thoughts of suicide

Thoughts of self-harm

The Physical Symptoms:

There is a wide range of physical symptoms that can be produced during the withdrawal period. Some of the commonly produced symptoms are:

Excessive Sweating

Malaise

Body aches

Tremors

Diarrhea

Nausea and vomiting

Worsening of premenstrual symptoms

Seizures

Dizziness

Convulsions.

The intensity of these symptoms can vary depending upon various factors like time duration, dependency, and the gravity of addiction. Depression is a common withdrawal symptom. This symptom can sometimes be so severe to put the person into the suicidal ideations and self-mutilation.

Bath Salts Dependency:

The bath salts dependency can be quite dangerous because the drug has many inherently harmful side effects for the health. The dependency is preceded by the tolerance. As the body of the drug user adapts to the increasing quantities of bath salts, the tolerance will begin to develop and the person will require the larger doses of the drug to attain the same effects. This increases the chances of potential side-effects or builds up the levels of fatal overdose. The dependency is said to have occurred when the user can’t stop himself from taking the bath salts, and the emergence of negative psychological or the physical withdrawal symptoms. In cases of dependency, the person body needs the drug; otherwise, the withdrawal symptoms will begin to appear. Dependency is considered as a precursor to the state of addiction. The addiction is characterized by the inability to perform the everyday life tasks without consuming the drug and an intense compulsion develops to continue abusing the drug. The addict then continues taking the drug despite being aware of his health problems, family conflicts, financial stresses, etc. The person addicted to the bath salts may experience the following symptoms

Intense cravings

Extreme anxiety and depression

Loss of touch with the reality

Treatments used to ease withdrawal symptoms:

Hydration: The increased intake of water is needed to compensate for the water loss in vomiting or diarrhea. Moreover, the addict is already in a low hydration state due to the negligence of body needs. Initial water therapy and the electrolytes balance are required.

Medications: Many medicines are used to help the user cope with the withdrawal symptoms. The medicines are given accordingly with the symptoms. The painkillers are given to relieve pain, anti-emetics, and anti-diarrheal can be given. The two most commonly given medicines for the withdrawal symptoms of the drug include:

Benzodiazepines: These are given to relieve the intense symptoms of anxiety.

Antipsychotics: These are given for various psychotics symptoms like hallucinations.

Exercise: The exercise helps to maintain the healthy metabolic state of the body. A daily exercise program can combat many physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.

Psychological therapy: The psychological therapy helps to modify the behavior and attitudes of an addict. Many methods are taught to negate the effects of intense cravings.

Detoxification process:

Bath salts, being the highly addictive drug, are almost impossible to be stopped on your own and the chances of relapse are very high. The intense cravings along with other overwhelming symptoms of tremors, paranoia, sleep disturbances, and severe depression make the first step of recovery process very difficult. To effectively undergo the recovery process, a proper program with expert’s supervision is needed. The rehabilitation centers ensure the effective recovery process of the addicts by a thorough monitoring system. The various treatment protocols are applied to establish the proper recovery. The recovery programs apply the various treatment options, which include the inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, group therapy and aftercare programs. A 24 hour’s monitoring system is set up in the rehabilitation centers. The duration of treatment varies between the persons depending on their duration of abuse and the severity of addiction. The rehabilitation centers not only contain the team of trained personnel but also a helpful caring staff that ensures the comfortable recovery process.